Ignition Questions

[money pit]

I have a 360 engine which is basically stock. I converted to electronic ignition.
1. The first question I have, is vacuum advance necessary? I have the initial timing set at 15 BTC, I haven't checked the total timing.
2. The second question, with electronic ignition, can I use the same coil I used on the points distributor? Or do I need a new coil?
3. Have you seen this wear pattern before on a distributor cap. This cap (tan color) is from the electronic ignition. There is a little wear at the very base of the terminal instead of the center of the vertical part of the terminal (black cap, points) I measured the length of the rotors on both distributors. They are the same length for the points and electronic distributor. The car runs fine. Thanks

 

[Chryco Psycho]

Vacuum advance is nessisary for power & mileage
Same coil can be used
The carbon terminal in the center of the cap looks to have broken off from a misaligned rotor as it was installed or worn completely away

 

[money pit]

Vacuum advance is nessisary for power & mileage
Same coil can be used
The carbon terminal in the center of the cap looks to have broken off from a misaligned rotor as it was installed or worn completely away

The distributor has about a 100 miles on it. I'm having a lot of experience with new parts failing prematurely. I think it's the junk from China. If you look at the tan colored cap that came with the electronic distributor, there is wear near the base of the terminals compared to the points distributor (black cap) where the wear is in the normal area you would expect it. Thanks

 

[Chryco Psycho]

The vacuumm advance must be connected to the ported vacuum port on the carb so vacuum increases with rpm , Not manifold vacuum .
the rotor should never touch the terminals , the only "wear' is where the spark jumps across the gap from the rotor to the terminal so it depends were the closest point is for the spark t jump .
the center button can chip or wear away if the rotor tab is not centered or if the cap is set onto the dist from the side & rolled on instead of being set on vertically .
Yes China makes Junk always .

 

[moparleo]

Agree with Chryco. Did you replace the cap and rotor together ?
Usually it is the rotor that sees the most wear.
I would replace them with the same brands, and most are sold as a set.
Sometimes parts don't mate with each other if from different suppliers.
As with all parts, buy the best quality you can find. It is not that expensive and hopefully you only buy once.
Always cheaper than having problems and having to buy again.

 

[money pit]

Agree with Chryco. Did you replace the cap and rotor together ?
Usually it is the rotor that sees the most wear.
I would replace them with the same brands, and most are sold as a set.
Sometimes parts don't mate with each other if from different suppliers.
As with all parts, buy the best quality you can find. It is not that expensive and hopefully you only buy once.
Always cheaper than having problems and having to buy again.

The cap and the rotor came with the electronic ignition conversion kit. The kit was bought new from a reputable source, so I assumed everything was matched. Like I mentioned, new doesn't always mean it's good. Thanks